ETSU women to face JMU in WNIT Thursday

By: Kane O'Neill

Posted: Mar 12, 2018 11:46 PM EDT

Updated: Mar 12, 2018 11:46 PM EDT

JOHNSON CITY, TN- On Monday night, the ETSU women’s basketball team was officially named one of the 32 automatic qualifiers for the 2018 Women’s National Invitational Postseason Tournament (WNIT). The Bucs will travel to Harrisonburg, Va. to take on the James Madison Dukes. The game is set for Thursday, March 15 with a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.

James Madison earned an at-large bid finishing 21-10 in the Colonial conference. They are the fourth winningest women’s basketball program in NCAA history. JMU is 15-7 all-time in the WNIT with a 13-2 finish at home.

This will be the 14th time ETSU and JMU will meet in program history. The Dukes edge the Bucs with a 7-6 all-time win record and have won the last four contests against the Bucs.

This selection marks the Bucs’ first appearance in a non-league postseason tournament since 2014-15, when ETSU hosted their first-ever postseason WNIT welcoming NC State to Brooks Gym. The Bucs hold a 1-4 all-time record in the WNIT with appearances also coming in the 2006-07 season and the 1994-95 season.

ETSU compiled a 20-12 overall record and second in the Southern Conference to Mercer in both the regular season and postseason conference championship. The Bucs were offered an automatic berth in the postseason by the WNIT for being the highest-finishing team in its conference’s regular season standings that was not selected for this year’s NCAA Tournament. In total, there are 32 automatic bids for the WNIT and 32 at-large selections.

Tickets will be available starting Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. JMU ticket office can be found here.